Make this year’s New Year’s Resolutions stick!

Wondering about New Year’s Resolutions already? Resolutions are of course, part and parcel of the ritual of New Year. Getting to a new you, a new start, turning over a new leaf…these are the things we think about when we’re setting them. Yet around 90% of us will fail in our resolutions within three weeks. Why?

It’s usually for one of three reasons:

The goal hasn’t been set properly in the first place – it’s not a SMART goal. (More of that later)

Your motivation isn’t strong enough

Entrenched habits and/or thinking gets in the way.

Let me explain each in more detail.

A SMART goal is simply this:

S for Specific – A non-specific goal would be “get a new job”; a specific goal would be “send my CV out to these 10 companies”. The more specific the goal, the more likely it is to be achieved. As long as it’s also…

M for Measurable – How can you track progress? By the number of CVs/letters you send out? By the number of interviews you get? Figure out a way of measuring your progress.

A for Attainable – Take a look at your current lifestyle, commitments, financial situation: is this goal something you can assimilate? If it requires dramatic change – such as moving house – that’s fine, as long as you are willing and disciplined enough to make that change.

R for Realistic – If you’re currently an Office Administrator, setting the goal of reaching MD within a year is fairly unrealistic and therefore, doomed to fail. Setting the goal of department head, however, might work.

T for Timely – There should always be a deadline for completion!

Motivation

Are you doing it for you, or for a partner/family member? Are you doing it because you think you ought to, or because you really want to? Goal setting should align with your values and dreams for the future. Along the way there may be benefits to others, but your prime motivation should be why reaching your dream is important.

Entrenched habits/thinking

Without realising it, our inner-speak dictates how we deal with and react to our lives. A negative mindset, lack of self-belief, fear of trying, fear that you actually might achieve it… all these things can hamper the success of our goals.

Goals are a fantastic tool for change. Once we set them, we have direction, a future focus, and we begin to attract things that will help us on our way.

Not only that, but goal setting can be great fun.

It’s also something that you can start doing from a very young age! Since it’s the season of gift-giving, we’d like to give you a Parents’ Goal Mapping Guide*. In it you’ll find everything you need to get you and your whole family setting goals that will work! Take a look at the letter from letter from Sam the Magic Genie* on how everyone can create a Goal Map, and get going!

As an additional gift, we’ve also got a little bit of holiday reading for you, Successful, but Incomplete? is our ebook and is a 12-Step Guide to Discovering your Purpose and Passion.

“A child who can set and accomplish a simple goal, will become an adult who knows the joy of changing the world” Linda & Richard Tyre

Freedigitalimages.net by lamnee

We’d like to wish a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers!